Apparatus for raising sunken vessels.



C. B. DAWSON.

APPARTUS FOR RAISING SUNKIEN VESSIELS.

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INVENTOR 4/ r BY ATTORNEY C; B. DAWSON. APPARATUS Foa RAlslNdsuNKEN vEssELrs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31.1911.

Patented Apr. 9,1918.

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C. B. DAWSON. APPARATusfoR RAISING `SUNKEN vEssELs.

' `APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 19u. 1,262,460. Patented Apr. 9,1918.

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Aww/'0MM E: lZ H4 4g INVENTOR r BY M -j l ATToRN/sxv 4UNI'lED,STATES13ATjlglqfj; OFFICE.

CHAQLES B. DAWSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

APPARATUS FOR RAISIN G SUN KEN 4VllSSIlllS.I

' grated-. apparatus of this character which may be employed with a relatively small eX- penditure of time andnlabor..

With these ends in view, the invention consists in the n ovel construction, adaptation and combination of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed. J

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the prow of a sunken vessel and means operated from above the water on a barge for'introducing the bight of a hoisting cable beneath the keel of saidvessel. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through 2 2 of Fig. 1 with parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the ground cutting wheel and the supporting frame therefor. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with parts omitted and representing the wheel swung down to release 'the hoisting cable. Fig. 6

- is a View in front elevation of the vessel being suspended by cable from a pair of coupled scows or pontoons. Fig. 7 is a sectional view through 7-7 of Fig. 2. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail sectional views through 8-8 and 9-9 of Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a portion of Fig. 6. Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional views through 11-11 and 12-12 of Fig. 6. Fig. 13 is a view in side elevation illustrating a sunken vessel having its bow'engaged by hoisting cables and showing manner of engaging another cable. Fig. 14 is a' side elevational view of a vessel being entirely supported on holsting cables.

eferring now to Fig. 1, numeral 15 designates the bow of a vessel V at the bottom of a body of water and partly buried in a bed 16 of ne'sand or silt. 17 represents a barge provided with a well 171 through which eX- tends an upright pipe 18 having attached, as by a sling 19, an end of a hoisting line 20 which passes through acrane supported pul- Specication of Letters Patent. y

with a power-driven Patented Apr. 9,1918.

Application led March 31, l1.917. Serial No. 158,989.

i vley block 21 to a winding drum 22 for raising or lowering the pipe. This pipe comprises a'plurality of separable lengths to extend from a closed upper end 181 to an open lowerend 182. Adjacent to its upper end said `fpipe is provided with a branch outlet l18 3 which is connected by a fi'exible tube 23 pump 24 upon the barge aud provided with a`dischargev connection 241.

Framework 25 rigidly supported upon p osts 251 secured to the barge structure carries pipe-guiding means comprising a frame 26 (Fig. 2) connected to radially arranged rods 261 which are slidable in guides 27 secured to said framework. Said frame is yieldingly held in axial alinement with the barge well by springs 28 interposed between the guides 27 and adjustable nuts 262 providedon the respectiverods. The frame 26 is of sufficient diameter to permit being lowered or elevated therethrough the pipe and the coupling means for the various lengths thereof, but in order to afford lateral support to the upper end of the pipe I provide within said frame a' pair of doors `29 hingedly connected at their outer ends by pins 2.91l (Fig. 7) t0 the frame 4and having recesses 292 at their inner ends to accommodate the pipe. When in use, the doors are desirably coupled by bolts 293 through flange elements 294 of the doors.

When a length of pipe is kto. be inserted or removed, the doors `would be swung upwardly into the positions in which theyrlare represented by broken lines 295 in Fig. 7.

30 represents a bar axially movable in boxes 31 attached to the pipe 18 and having at its lower end a disk30u1 which serves'as a bearing upon or in the ground'according to the character of the same. The upper end of the bar is'screW-threadedl for engaging an internally threaded beveled gear wheel 32 which is borne upon a standard 33 provided on a platform 331 which is slidably connected to the pipe and adjustably movable thereon by means of a spur pinion 34 provided on the platform operating in a rack 341 secured to or formed on the upper length of pipe 18. Any suitable means, such as a dog 342 takingin the rack 341, for-securing said platform at adjusted clevations with respect to the pipe.

The gear wheel 32 serves as a nut with respect to the bar 30 and is actuated by a bevel pinion 322 operated by a crank wheel 321 passing ibo may be utilized I apair of apertured bolts 381 to regulate the` elevation of the disk with respect to the lower end of said pipe.

35 represents a counterweightifor the pipe 18, being connected with the latter by means of a collar 351 and suspending lines352 passing-over sheaves 353 (Fig. 2.) provided on the framework 25.

36 represents a bracket clamped from one of its ends, as at 361, to the pipe 18 near the low/,er end of the latter and :from which the outer end of the plate is supported by a link throi'i-igh the apertures of the respective bolts 381,. The plate 38 is formed 'at its underside with a tubular boss 38'z (see Fig. 4)' upon which is rptatably mounted a peripherallygrooved wheel 41` and upon which it is retained by a nut 42 and washer 421 connectedto a screw-bolt 422.

Thewheel 41 is equipped with a series of circumferentially arranged teeth 411 which are directed downwardly, as shown, and serve tov dig the ground therebeneath when rotatably driven through the instrumentality cfa `cable C1, Fig. 1, looped intermediate its length about the wheel andhaving its endspulled alternately by motor boats 44, but which in the illustration arerv shown as employed in an operation subse-I' quent to ,that now being explained.

Theleads of the cable C1 .are guidedto and from diameterically opposite sides of the wheelm`41 by passing through hingedly connected'jgwshackles 45 (lFig. 8) extending through lliolesl provided in the bracket 36 and releasably supported therefrom by keys 46. l ln operationw. the" wheel 41 is driven through the medium of saidy cable first iii lone rotaryvdirection by the boat connected to the proper cablevlead moving forward while the other bpat moves rearwardly, `and then the .previously operating boat moves rearwardly while the other boat does its turn of hauling upon the lead, and so on, each of the boats alternately becoming operative and inactive.

The Wheel 41 is thus influenced to dig by its teeth 411the ground, and mix the excavated material with waterso as to be insuitable condition to be drawnym up through pipe 18 by pump 24 aiidz'thence dis-A charged throu `the delivery connection 241- incasso The excavated material, moreover, is prevented ;t'rom spreading and is directed to the suction end of said pipe by means of a wall 365 depending from the bracket 36, substantially as represented in Figs. 1, 3 and 5.

'During such excavating, the reciprocating movements of the cable leads a 'andsee Fig. 1, and more particularly the slack one, a, will drag through the ground in advance of the wheel to furrow the..same and gradw ally remove the dirt from beneath the forward end of the vessel V substantiallyeas indicated in Fig. 5. The excavating `of the. ground bythe cable may be facilitated by providing the cable with: scraper elements, such as Cx, Figs. 1 and 5, said elements being detached from the cable betere thellatterlis employed in hoisting operations. 17V hen this l hasbeen attained, the bigntor loop of the. cable is withdrawn from the wheel 41 and dragged beneath the vessel by the forwardtravel of both of the boats 44. To enable the, cable to bethus taken from the wheel I'pro.- vide controlling lines -48 having one end` ci" each connected to an eye-bolt 49 of the lbracket 36; then successively tlircuglrapar,-

tures provided in keys 40 and 46 to a puin l ley 491 attached to the bracket., and iinally to they barge'l'? to' be manipulated by the operator.

By simultaneously pulling upwardly upon both of the controlling lines 48, the operatorv disengages the aforesaid keys, whereupon the shackles each drop into the broken line-. 'position 45a in Fig. -8 to release the respective lead andthe bolts 381 are released with l a consequent'swinging downwardly of the plate 38 and the wheel 41, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby depositing the cable upon the ground.L v t To facilitate the locating and regulating of the wheel 41,pip,e 18 and the various as- "ica sociated under-water parts of the invention so far ydescribed and with respect to the vessel V, an attendant may advantageously descend into proximity of the vessel. To such ends ll provide a suitable submergible receptacle such as a tank 50, Fig. 1, which is raised or lowered from a winding drum 51 on the lbarge by means of a hoisting line 52.

Suph tank is provided with one or more.Y

glazed sight apertures suchas 53, and an aperture 531 provided with a lens through which rays from a strong lamp (not shown) may be directed on the work.

54 representcirculating tubes by'lwhich fresh air is supplied to the attendant withint the tank from an air, pump y55. Furthermore, atelephonewire, indicated by 56, connecting an instrument in thetank with one on the barge, is utilized to transmit mes-K' sages to andfflro, to direct the operations upon the barge for governing and actuating 1f the dredging, etc.

After the cable C1 has been broughtiunel:

der the keel at the forward end of the vessel, thefbarge 17 and the apparatus depending therefrom are removed and the operation of raising the vessel is thereupon undertaken through the agency of apparatus which I will now describe. f

For this purpose I provide a number of scows or pontoons P1, P2-PX, respectively `arranged in pairs, those of each such pair being coupled preferably in the manner `shown in Fig. 6 by means of a girder 56 having near its ends a saddle 57 which is seated upon a stub shaft 58 carried by a chair 581 which, in turn, is seated upon bolsters 59 Iixedly secured upon the deck ofthe respective pontoon. By such devices the latter are free to rock Without imparting strains upon the girder.

Said girder is desirably of the built up type and may be composedof timber elements 561, see Figs. 10, 1.1 and 12, secured against deflecting by truss rods such asl 562. A girder is also formed with vslots 563 to accommodate a cable and the grooved sheaves 60 therefor, latter a girder is reinforcedby steel channel bars 564 (Fig. 12) or an equivalent. The axles 601 of said sheaves are journaled in bearing boxes 61 secured upon a girder, and serve to support the cable, as C]L in Fig. 6, Whose ends are led under guide sheaves 62 located at approximately the longitudinal axis of the respective pontoon and thence to a Winch 63, one for each pontoon, and

about which the cable ends are Wound for taking up the cable slack and also, when required in situations where there is little or no tidal action, to serve in raising the vessel.

After the cable, as C1, for example, has been drawn by the boats under the keel of the vessel, as hereinbefore explained, the cable ends are delivered to tlfe pontoons and connected, as stated above, to the Winches after passing over and under sheaves 60 and 62, respectively. This cable is drawn by its ends lbeing wound upon the Winch drums to raise the forward end of thevessel or with the assistance of a second cable C2 with respect to a pair of pontoons P2, Fig. 13, so that another cable, as C3, may be engaged below the vessel by means of the motor boats il which are utilized to drag the bight of each of the cables, after the first, under the vessel. p

In thus applying, say the first two or three cables beneath a vessel, the boats would, if desired or found requisite, act alternately to draY the respective leads back and forth to cut a channel, so to speak, through the dirt or silt to afford room for the respective cables.

After tht; various cables are successively engaged under the vessel, the ends of the cables are delivered to the respective pontoons and applied to the various Winches and at each side ofthe sald which are then actuated to cause the cables to participate in the raising of the'vessel.

Where there is a rise and fall of water surface due to tides, the cables need only be drawn taut by the Winches at low tide so' that When the water surface rises, the buoyancy alone of the pontoons will exercise the necessary vessel-lifting force. When the vessel is thus supported by the pontoons, as in Fig. 14, at high tide the vessel may be carried by towing the pontoons into sha1- low Water, to'enable the slack ofthe cables to be taken in at low tide to have the tidal riseagain raise the vessel, and so on.

The invention and the manner of its operation will, it is thought, be understood from the foregoing description.

VVha-t I claim, is-

1. In apparatus 4for raising a sunken vessel, a submarine digging device, a' cable, and means for operating said cable to actuate said digging device, said means also serving to cause saidcable to be brought into posi-v tion to be utilized for hoisting the vessel.v

2. In apparatus for raising a sunken vessel, a submarine digging device, supporting means therefor, means to engage the aforesaid means to an end of the vtssel, and a cable controlled from the water surface for operating said digging device, and means for releasing said device from the cable and causing the latter to be deposited into po'si-` tion to be employed for hoisting the veel,

3. In apparatus for raising a sunken vessel, submarine excavatingmechanism com-v prising a grooved Wheel having peripherally disposed digging teeth, a support for Wheel, a cable engaging in the groove of said wheel, motor boats connected to the ends of said cable to thereby rotate said wheel in opposite directions, selectively, to effect the opera-tion of said and means operable from above the water surface for detaching the cable from the grooved wheel.

4. In apparatus for raising a sunken vessel, a submarine excavating mechanism comprising agrooved Wheel having peripherally disposed digging teeth, a support for said Wheel, a cable-engaging in the groove of said wheel, means operating at the water surface to rotate said wheel in opposite directions, selectively, to effect the operation of said digging teeth, and means controlled from above the water whereby the wheel is influenced tomelease the cable therefrom.

5. In apparatus for raising a sunken vessel, a submarine digging device, means to operate the same, removing niaterigl excavated by said digging device, means to detachably engage the digging device to an end of the vessel, a hoisting cable. and means to introduce the cable under the vessel by way of the hole produced by said digging device.

digging teeth,

pump-actuated means for 5 6. 'lin apparatus for raising as'unken vessel, a submarine excavating mechanism, supporting means therefor regulated from fabove the water to engage the same to an sel, submarine excavating mechanism com- :end of the vessel, a cable, and means operprising a peripherally grooved rotary wheel provided with digging devices, a support to whichv said wheel is 'rotatably mounted, a

pipe, afbracket connected to said pipe, hinge p connections between one end of said support and the bracket, means for releasably secur- `in'g the other end of the support to the bracket, a cable passing about said wheel, means acting through the medium of the cayblefor driving said wheel periodically in opposite rotary directions, and' means for controlling the first-named means whereby Laeaceo the wheel is a'ected forecasting the cable therefrom.

8. ln apparatus yfor raising a sunken vessel, the combination with a barge and two motor-driven boats, of a pipe depending from said bargev and having an open lower end, excavating mechanism including a ro tary digging wheel supported by said pipe,

means operable from the barge for regulaty Aing the elevation of both the pipe and said v day of March, 1917.

CHARLES B.. DAWSN.

Witnesses: v

PIERRE BARNES', E. PETERSON.

@epilee ai? time patent may he autisme@ for'lve @eats eeen, 'by addressing the "Gommielener ci Pateata Wochllngtan, E). KE. 

